


heaven ain't got a vacancy

by notyouricon



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Boys Kissing, Confident Lee Jeno, Cute boys, Driving, Getting Together, Getting to Know Each Other, How Do I Tag, Late Night Conversations, M/M, Mild Language, Na Jaemin is Whipped, Romance, Secret Identity, Soft Lee Jeno, Soft Na Jaemin, Street Racing, at first, idk - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-02
Updated: 2019-09-02
Packaged: 2020-10-09 04:21:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20494817
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notyouricon/pseuds/notyouricon
Summary: na jaemin doesn't smoke. doesn't do drugs. doesn't drink. he doesn't need that to get high, he just needs a steering wheel in his hands and his foot on a pedal. and maybe a certain boy to go along with it.orthe one where jaemin likes to race cars and listen to jeno talk(title from planetary (go!) by my chemical romance)





	heaven ain't got a vacancy

**Author's Note:**

> i'm back with a new oneshot and my first nct work! gah i love y'all and hopefully by this time next week wake up (smell the roses) will be updated, hopefully. 
> 
> anyways, a humongous thank you to my test reader, milo! none of this would be possible without you!
> 
> and thank you to all my readers, y'all don't know how much you mean to me!
> 
> as always, with love. julian. <33.

For as long as Jaemin could remember he had been in love with the feeling of adrenaline that came with the unknown. From the time he was able to climb trees he had been the one to get to the top first. When he learned how to ride a bike, he started learning tricks, popping wheelies, and riding handless.

It took him until he was sixteen to identify why he loved the danger so much, why he craved the adrenaline, and by then he was a junkie on it. So, with nothing better to do, he did sports, participated in school, he was a golden boy, soft-spoken but if you looked closely there was a glint in his eyes that spoke of adventure and something wild.

That changed when he turned eighteen and enrolled in university and stumbled on street racing. He started out watching, hidden on the sidelines, clinging to whoever was closest so that he could get right up front and listen to the hosts of the race discuss the cars and their drivers. He was nineteen when he finished working on his ride, fingers slender and white-knuckled around the wheel as he pulled up to the line. Speed was key, but so was control, it was like Jaemin had trained for this his entire life. His mind narrowed so that all he could think about was the drive shift and acceleration, he did calculations on the spot to figure out how much time he’d have. He was good.

He won his first race under the moniker of Angel. His hand was raised with his face hidden behind a mask and his head hidden underneath the hood of a sweatshirt. Which was where he was right now, another win under his belt and a shit ton of homework waiting for him back at the dorm.

“Another win for Angel!” There was a wad of cash in his hand, the fingers still tingling as he came down from the high. As the crowd began to disperse, Jaemin made his way back to his car, craving once more the sweet adrenaline that came with accelerating to upwards of ninety miles per hour. There was a flash of movement from the corner of his eye and he turned to check it out. There was a young man, no older then Jaemin himself, leaned against the corner of a building, watching him leisurely, like a predator stalking their prey. Jaemin shivered, raising an eyebrow.

“You need something?” He asked, making sure to keep his tone masked in disdain and disinterest.

“A conversation,” Was the response, Jaemin thought it over. He could spare a few minutes, he did enjoy a mystery. The stranger moved away from the wall, taking steady strides over to where Jaemin stood beside his car. “Just a quick conversation, with the Angel.”

Jaemin shuddered, nodding silently as he leaned back against the car, faking his calm and collected appearance. “Then talk. Unless you want to get lost.” Jaemin just wanted people to be honest with him. That’s all he wanted, was to not have to decipher another person’s words.

“Have you ever wondered what’s out there? Beyond it all? When you’re racing, it seems like you’re part of that. Like you’re from some other world entirely.”

And just like that, the adrenaline was back, a surge of liquid confidence in Jaemin’s veins. “Wanna find out?” He asked, adjusting the mask over his lips and nose, tugging his hood up to cover his eyes.

“Fuck yes.”

*`*`*`*`*

And that was how Jaemin met Jeno, a weird boy with a fascination for space and music, an old soul who ran a radio broadcast, one that Jaemin found himself listening to more and more often, not that he would ever admit it.

It was also a complete coincidence, that right before Jaemin would race, an anonymous caller would request his lucky song, the one that Jeno had turned up to blasting that first night as they sped around the city. The one that had played in the background as Jaemin was almost convinced to remove his hood and mask. The one that made him feel like he was on top of the world despite the massive amounts of homework he was working on. Every time it played through the speakers of the racer’s car he would win.

Jeno still showed up every once in a while, after the crowd had gone, leaving the Angel by his lonesome with a roll of cash and a smile. Jeno no longer felt the need to request conversations, simply approaching Jaemin in his car, his voice whispering “Angel,” and Jaemin melted. It didn’t matter that it wasn’t his real name, but it sent shivers down his spine as he feigned nonchalance, ducking into the driver’s seat as Jeno fell into the passenger side.

Most of the rides were spent listening to the soothing tones of Jeno’s voice, Jaemin only chiming in every once in a while. Eyes on the road, was his constant reminder, whenever his mind drifted and wanted to look at the other. They spent many nights like that, Jeno uncovering secrets and ideas and sounding so free. Jaemin in the driver’s seat, listening, hiding himself away.

Tonight felt different though, as Jeno relaxed into the seat, Jaemin took his time to buckle up and turn the key in the ignition. Mustering his courage, he raised his voice to ask what had been on his mind since the last time they’d done this. “Why me? Why did you approach me?”

Jeno hums, looking over at the hidden face of the Angel. “Because, you seemed like you would understand, or at least listen. And you have, listened, and you do understand.”

Jaemin nodded, how long had it been since they met, well, it had been the beginning of the first semester when they met, it was halfway through the second semester. He’d seen Jeno on campus only once, at a small coffee shop across from his lecture hall. That made his decision for him, he trusted Jeno. In the fact that he was a good luck charm, in the way that Jeno never forced him to speak, let him stay quiet.

“Can I take you somewhere?” He asked, voice quiet so it wouldn’t shake from nerves. Glancing over at the man sitting beside him, Jaemin awaited the response, which came in the form of a steady nod. He turned away before he could start staring, it was hard not to, with the sharp cut of Jeno’s features drawing him in. Those eyes could hold universes.

Then he was driving, watching the needle on the speedometer climb up and around. It didn’t take them more than fifteen minutes to get to Jaemin’s spot, the one place where he could relax, he often brought his homework up here, out into the wooded area. It was always so quiet, and he adored it. Jeno looked around, eyes wide and soft. Turning off the engine and stepping out of the car, Jaemin smiles through the mask, waiting for Jeno to join him.

“Why’d you bring me here?”

“I trust you. And it’s one of my favorite places.” Jaemin murmured, stepping onto the path after checking that his car was out of sight in its usual place. “You coming?”

Jeno nodded, following behind Jaemin quickly. The plants were familiar but Jaemin didn’t dare step off the path, he had his mind set on this and if he didn’t do it soon, he’d chicken out. He wasn’t even sure why he was doing it, but he felt oddly okay with it, maybe even a little excited. They made it to the clearing, the small tent that Jaemin had set up toward the northern edge of the area.

“So, Angel, what are we doing here?” Jeno raised a perfectly arched eyebrow, turning to look around the clearing. Jaemin took it as his chance to push his hood back, running a hand through his hair.

“I’m trusting you. You’ve told me some of your secrets, I figured I’d pay you back in kind.” Jaemin murmured, tugging his face mask off and shoving it into his hoodie pocket. “You gave me your name when we met. But you’re still calling me Angel, and that’s not fair.”

Jeno’s turned around by now, brow knitted in confusion until he realizes what’s going on. “My name is Jaemin. Not Angel.” Jeno steps a bit closer, finding it hard to see in the dim moonlight. Pink hair, pink cheeks, soft-looking and nothing like the idea of what a street racer ought to look like.

“I’ve seen you before, at the university. I saw you just last week.” Jeno says, voice hushed as the recognition dawns over his face. Jaemin offers a shy smile, nervously tucking his hands in his pocket. “I’m glad you trust me, Jaemin.”

That was such a lovely sound, Jaemin’s name, rolling smoothly off Jeno’s lips. They shared a smile, and Jaemin felt light, as though he could walk upon the sky. This may just be better than the adrenaline that came with racing.

*`*`*`*`*

Jaemin found himself looking forward to these nights more than ever. The ones where Jeno would slide into the passenger seat, unannounced but perfectly welcomed. He brought with him on some nights food, drinks, all manner of entertainment. He also found it his habit to let Jeno pull his hood back and unhook his mask, feeling vulnerable under the soft touch.

It was almost as though he was more excited to see Jeno than he was to win a race. Maybe because his heart pounded harder and he found it more difficult to breathe when the elder was around, even when he wasn’t in the car. When it was just Jaemin and Jeno on campus stopping for coffee and to discuss the calculus work, not when it was Angel and Jeno, sitting in Angel’s car with a crowd of people all curious for a look.

That’s how he felt right now, Jeno brushing away the messy hair that had fallen in his face as the hood fell back. Jeno with his gentle fingers dancing over Jaemin’s skin as he unhooked the mask and smiled widely. Jaemin flushed, turning his face away after it was uncovered. He had to face the facts, he couldn’t look at Jeno without his heart speeding up, couldn’t talk to him without stumbling over his words, couldn’t be close without his cheeks heating up. He had a crush on Jeno, and that was a problem.

They took off for the night, Jaemin’s hands steady on the wheel, eyes watching the speedometer because he knew Jeno didn’t like going faster than 95 miles an hour. “Where do you want to go, Jeno?”

“Our spot.” The way he said it, so casually, had Jaemin’s brain short-circuiting. It used to be just his spot, his place, but now it was shared, and Jaemin wouldn’t have it any other way. The drive didn’t take long, or maybe it did, Jaemin tried not to think about it. Parking where he always did, Jaemin gets out of the car, pocketing his keys. Jeno led them down the path this time, steps careful and measured, Jaemin close behind.

“Do you remember the first time you brought me out here? You told me you trusted me.” Jeno says, turning to look at the younger man as they make their way into the open space of the clearing. Jaemin smiles as he remembers, his hair was pink then, still fresh. “You let me see your face, you let me be your friend.”

Jaemin nods, curious about where this was going, Jeno wasn’t the type for sweet words, he was blunt, to the point, curious and prying. “And I want to return the favor, if I may?”

“Return the favor?” Jaemin murmured, tilting his head to the side slightly, brows furrowed. “How?”

“Na Jaemin, Angel, I trust you. A lot. And I care about you, a lot. And I’m placing my heart in your hands when I say that I want to go out with you. Not as friends, but I want to date you, and I need to know if that’s something you would like as well.” Jeno’s cheeks were flushed as he trailed off, eyes shifting around, trying to take note of Jaemin’s reaction to the idea.

“You really want to date me?” Jaemin whispers, voice echoing in the dark evening. “You want to date the adrenaline junkie who has lucky songs, who drives in races almost every other night, who goes to class and can’t live without caffeine, you want to date someone like me?”

Jeno nods, “I wouldn’t have it any other way, Min.”

It’s then that Jaemin nods, cheeks heating up as he murmurs an affirmative. This should’ve been expected, shouldn’t have been a surprise. He should’ve known the moment Jeno requested their spot with those tender eyes.

Jeno only takes a moment before he has Jaemin in his arms, face burrowed into the boy’s neck, smiling widely as he holds on tight. Neither of them knows who started it, who had his fingers in the other man’s hair, who presses forward, who kisses who. But it’s soft and sweet and it sends a sweet electric surge down Jaemin’s spine and he decides he may have just found his new addiction. 

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> comments? leave em below  
kudos? hit that button ily  
twitter? https://twitter.com/notyouricon  
instagram? same user as above^^  
who do i love? you guys!
> 
> see ya on the flipside!


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